Meet the 2014 Tribeca Filmmakers #31: Kief Davidson Finds the Beauty in LEGOs in 'Beyond the Brick: A LEGO Brickumentary'

With “The Lego Movie” already turning into a big hit, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Kief Davidson should have no trouble finding an audience for his and co-director Daniel Junge’s latest documentary. “Beyond the Brick: A LEGO Brickumentary” explores the immense fan base of the classic children’s toy, while depicting its awe-inspiring and endless possibilities that are used to create what can only be viewed as art.

Tell us about yourself.I was born and raised in Brooklyn when rent was still cheap. While studying for some degree at school, I was fortunate enough to land my first job as a comedy and music video editor at a post-production facility. I then moved into editing documentaries, which then inspired me to make my own films. Some of them include “Open Heart,” “Kassim The Dream,” “The Devil’s Miner” and “Beyond The Brick.”

What was your biggest challenge in completing this project? The biggest challenge was the sheer amount of shooting involved in this production. LEGO is a global company, so we wanted to tell stories from around the world. This led to a lot of production days, which led to a lot of anxiety around how much we would have to edit. We had a small army of editors working on this film.

What do you have in the works? I have several other projects in various stages of development. These films range from a biker club in Utah, a film about a Jason Bourne type badass trying to save species on the verge of extinction and a third about the medical organization Partners In Health.

Did you crowdfund? If so, via which platform? And if not, why? No. And thank goodness. I’m terrible in front of the camera. No one would have given money based on my plea.

What camera did you shoot on? We shot primarily with Canon C300’s and Canon 5D’s.

Did you go to film school? If so, which one? I didn’t go to film school but I took a handful of courses at university. My training as a filmmaker started first as a photographer and then as an editor. All of those years in small windowless rooms is really where I learned my craft.

Indiewire invited Tribeca Film Festival directors to tell us about
their films, including what inspired them, the challenges they faced and
what they’re doing next. We’ll be publishing their responses leading up
to the 2014 festival. Go HERE to read all the entries.